Chapter 1 Highlights of Year 2024

1.1 The labour market remained tight in 2024 as the economy continued to expand. For 2024 as a whole, the unemployment rate stayed low at 3.0%, though slightly higher than that in 2023 by 0.1 percentage point. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate edged up to 1.2%. We will continue to closely monitor the labour market situation and enhance our employment services on all fronts, especially in canvassing job vacancies and rendering assistance to job seekers.

Employment Services

Employment and Recruitment Services

1.2 To help job seekers enter the labour market and respond speedily to the recruitment needs of employers, the Labour Department (LD) organises employment promotion activities at various locations across the territory. A total of 18 large-scale job fairs and 622 district-based job fairs were organised in the year.

1.3 The LD adopts a proactive approach in providing employment assistance. In the year, the free recruitment service provided for employers by the LD recorded 818 218 job vacancies from the private and public sectors; and 121 543 placements were secured.

Re-employment Allowance Pilot Scheme

1.4 The LD launched the three-year Re-employment Allowance Pilot Scheme on 15 July 2024 to encourage persons aged 40 or above who have not been in paid employment for three consecutive months or more to rejoin the employment market.

Labour Relations

Promoting Harmonious Labour Relations

1.5 To foster harmonious labour relations, the LD adopts a proactive and pragmatic approach in helping employers and employees resolve their disagreements through communication and mutual understanding. In 2024, we handled a total of 89 labour disputes (each involving more than 20 employees) and 12 940 claims (each involving 20 or less employees). Over 70% of cases with conciliation service rendered were resolved. The average waiting time for conciliation meetings was 3.5 weeks in the year.

Enhancing Good Human Resource Management Practices and Harmonious Labour Relations

1.6 The LD organised a wide range of promotional activities including exhibitions, seminars and talks to promote public understanding of labour laws and publicise employee-oriented and good human resource management measures. In 2024, we continued the promotion of labour-management collaboration to encourage both sides to exchange views and enhance mutual understanding on labour issues of common concern.

Employees' Rights and Benefits

Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW)

1.7 The Minimum Wage Commission (MWC), established under the Minimum Wage Ordinance, is tasked with the main function of reporting to the Chief Executive (CE) in Council its recommendation about the SMW rate. The MWC comprises a chairperson and 12 members drawn from the labour sector, business sector, academia and the Government.

1.8 In April 2024, the Government accepted the recommendations of the MWC on enhancing the review mechanism of the SMW. The recommendations included adopting a formula for reviewing the SMW rate once a year and reviewing the new review mechanism five to ten years after its implementation. As announced in the 2024 Policy Address, the Government will implement the new annual review mechanism of the SMW. The first SMW rate derived under the new mechanism is expected to take effect on 1 May 2026.

1.9 In October 2024, the MWC submitted its recommendation report on the next SMW rate to the CE in Council.

Sustaining Vigorous Enforcement against Wage Offences

1.10In 2024, the LD sustained its all-out efforts to combat wage offences. Territory-wide inspection campaigns targeted at offence-prone trades were launched by labour inspectors. Apart from proactive inspections to check compliance, we widely publicised our complaint hotline (2815 2200) and collected intelligence on non-payment of wages in various industries through an early warning system in collaboration with trade unions. We conducted prompt investigation into suspected wage offences so as to facilitate speedy prosecution.

1.11We continued to take out prosecution against employers and responsible individuals of companies for wage offences. We also strengthened our educational and promotional efforts to remind employers of their statutory obligation to pay wages on time and to encourage employees to lodge claims promptly and come forward as prosecution witnesses.

Vigorous Enforcement against Illegal Employment

1.12The LD collaborated with the Police and the Immigration Department to combat illegal employment activities. A total of 41 joint operations were mounted in the year.

Abolition of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Offsetting Arrangement

1.13The Government will abolish the arrangement of employers using the accrued benefits of their mandatory contributions under the MPF System to offset their employees’ severance payment (SP) and long service payment (LSP) on 1 May 2025. To help employers adapt to the policy change, the Government will in parallel launch the 25-year “Subsidy Scheme for Abolition of MPF Offsetting Arrangement” to share employers’ SP and LSP expenses after the abolition.

Safety and Health at Work

Major Public Works Projects (PWPs)

1.14In light of the commencement of major PWPs (including major infrastructure projects), the LD continued to enhance construction site safety through stepping up inspection and enforcement, as well as promotion and education. These included conducting comprehensive and in-depth surprise inspections of major PWP sites with high-risk processes or poor safety performance to scrutinise the safe system of work and safety management system of duty holders. We also continued to participate actively in site safety management committee meetings of major new projects to identify potential risks on site as early as possible and provide appropriate occupational safety and health (OSH) advice to site management. We provided participants with the latest safety hints and important OSH information to enhance safety awareness at construction sites and prevent accidents. We also strengthened the coordination with the Development Bureau, works departments and other public works project clients to enhance the site safety measures of major PWPs, with a view to ensuring more effective control of risks by contractors. We also launched enforcement operations with the Marine Department on sea-based construction works to deter work practices from contravening safety requirements.

Renovation, Maintenance, Alteration and Addition (RMAA) Works

1.15The volume of RMAA works is expected to grow further with the ageing of buildings in Hong Kong and the erection of many new buildings.

1.16The LD continued to step up inspection and enforcement efforts to monitor RMAA works and deter contractors from adopting unsafe work practices, so as to enhance the occupational safety condition of RMAA works. Territory-wide special enforcement operations (SEO) on RMAA works with emphasis on high-risk processes, such as work-at-height, truss-out scaffolding works, lifting operations and electrical work were also launched. During the SEOs of 2024, 361 suspension/improvement notices were issued and 190 prosecutions were taken out. The LD has also stepped up area patrols to combat high-risk work processes of RMAA works, including unsafe work-above-ground activities and improper erection, dismantling or use of truss-out scaffolds.

1.17On the fronts of education and promotion, we organised a series of intensive promotion and publicity campaigns, targeting RMAA works, as well as the related work-at-height and truss-out scaffolding works to strengthen the safety awareness of all parties involved. These included implementing a two-year publicity campaign in collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) with a wide range of initiatives to impress upon different stakeholders, such as contractors and workers engaged in RMAA works as well as property owners, the importance of work safety more effectively. We also partnered with the Home Affairs Department to organise publicity and promotional activities to promulgate work safety at the district level.

1.18In 2024, in collaboration with the OSHC, Construction Industry Council, the Property Management Services Authority and other relevant organisations, the LD organised a series of safety seminars concerning RMAA works to engage industry stakeholders in exploring means to further enhance OSH level in construction safety. Given the occurrence of work-above-ground accidents involving small-scale renovation and repair works from time to time, the LD collaborated with the OSHC as well as the property management and construction industries to launch the “Promoting the Use of Light-duty Working Platforms Scheme Phase II”. Through property management companies, step platforms and light-duty working platforms (hop-up platforms) would be lent to contractors and workers for conducting above-ground RMAA works in residential estates or buildings free of charge, so that ladders would not be used for such work.

Follow-up Investigations of Serious and Fatal Work Accidents

1.19The LD is highly concerned about the serious and fatal work accidents that happened in 2024, including the fatal industrial accident in Sha Tin involving drainage works in manholes and collapse of a bamboo scaffold in Kai Tak Development Area. We commenced immediate on-site investigations as soon as we were notified of the accidents to identify the causes and recommend improvement measures. We also issued suspension notices to the relevant duty holders, suspending the work processes concerned until we were satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks had been taken. We ascertained the liability of the duty holders concerned and initiated prosecutions against relevant duty holders pursuant to the law.

1.20In addition, having considered the nature of different accidents, the LD launched a series of follow-up actions, including conducting SEOs and targeting high-risk work activities and industries with a view to combat violations of operations. When it was reasonable to believe that carrying out certain work process may pose a considerable OSH risk, we would suspend relevant work activities immediately and issue advisory letters to duty holders/stakeholders concerned, urging them to take appropriate safety measures with a view to preventing recurrence of similar accidents. On the fronts of publicity and promotion as well as education and training, the LD, in collaboration with the Construction Industry Council, the OSHC and relevant organisations held safety seminars after the occurrence of individual serious or fatal accidents to explain the accident-related statutory requirements and preventive measures to the industry. In addition, the LD also disseminated safety hints related to serious accidents and corresponding preventive measures to the public through its mobile application to prevent accidents from happening again.

Safety Promotional Campaigns

1.21With regard to the construction industry, to continue to improve its safety performance, the LD, in collaboration with the OSHC and related organisations, organised the “Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme” again to inculcate a safety culture in the industry and to enhance work safety awareness of employers, employees and their families. The scheme featured a variety of activities which included safety performance competitions, roving exhibitions, safety quizzes, an award presentation ceremony and fun day. We also produced radio programmes and the making-of the Award Scheme, as well as broadcast Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) and promotional films on television/radio and public transport.

1.22In order to promote OSH of the catering industry, the LD, in collaboration with the OSHC and key stakeholders of the catering industry, organised the “Catering Industry Safety Promotional Campaign” to enhance work safety and health awareness of employers and employees of the industry.

Strengthening Publicity of OSH Complaint Channels

1.23Through an online OSH complaint platform, the LD facilitates employees and members of the public to report unsafe working conditions with mobile electronic devices, so that the LD can conduct inspections in a more targeted manner and carry out prompt follow-up actions pursuant to the risk-based principle. The LD is promoting its complaint channels through different publicity measures, including broadcasting relevant TV/Radio APIs on TV/Radio stations; placing advertisements on newspapers, displaying advertisements at prominent locations and public transport; disseminating handy card holders printed with details of the complaint channels in different languages at the Service Centers of Workers Registration and community centres for diverse races; and promulgating the information of complaint channels in Mandatory Safety Training Courses and the LD’s OSH publications.

Work Safety Alert Animation

1.24The LD continued to produce Work Safety Alert in the form of animation videos to enable the industry to better comprehend how accidents happened and the necessary safety measures to be taken to prevent such accidents. Four animation videos were produced and uploaded to the LD’s website and disseminated through various channels in 2024. The LD continued to give sub-titles to the animation videos in different languages to enhance the publicity and promotion targeting workers of diverse races.

Continuous Refinement of Mandatory Safety Training (MST) Courses

1.25In 2024, the LD continued to refine the MST courses, including the MST courses for confined spaces operation to raise the workers’ awareness of the causes and risks of confined space accidents and their ability to manage these risks in order to prevent accidents. In addition, the LD revised the “Approval Conditions for Operating MST Courses” to enhance the professional ethics and conduct of approved trainers teaching MST courses. We also continued to conduct different modes of inspections to strengthen the monitoring of training course providers.

Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work

1.26The LD launched the revised “Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work” (GN) and introduced the optimised “Heat Stress at Work Warning” system in May 2024 to assist employers and employees in taking appropriate measures to safeguard employees against the risk of heat stroke at work. The LD also collaborated with the OSHC in a series of relevant publicity and promotional activities to help both employers and employees understand the GN and apply the recommendations in formulating necessary heat stroke preventive measures.

Pilot Rehabilitation Programme for Employees Injured at Work

1.27The LD widened the coverage of the “Pilot Rehabilitation Programme for Employees Injured at Work” on 9 May 2024 to include “catering and hotel industry” and “transportation and logistics industry” in addition to “construction industry” with a view to benefiting more employees who were injured at work.

Strengthening Local and International Partnerships

Labour Day Reception

1.28On 26 April 2024, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, hosted a reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to pay tribute to the workforce. The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the reception, with guests from trade unions, employer associations and other organisations attending.

Contacts with Other Labour Administrations

1.29The LD maintained liaison and interflows with other labour administrations through visits and participation in various activities in 2024.

1.30In April 2024, Director of the International Labour Organisation Country Office for China and Mongolia, Dr Chang-Hee Lee, visited Hong Kong. He met with LD’s senior officials and shared with the Labour Advisory Board the latest development of international labour affairs.

1.31In May 2024, Minister Wang Xiaoping of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the State Council led a delegation to visit Hong Kong to attend the Global Talent Summit hosted by the Labour and Welfare Bureau. During the trip, the delegation met with the Commissioner for Labour, Ms May Chan, and the Deputy Commissioner for Labour (Labour Administration), Mr Raymond Ho, and visited LD’s Construction Industry Recruitment Centre.

1.32In June 2024, a tripartite team comprising representatives from the Government, employers and employees, led by the Commissioner for Labour, Ms May Chan, attended the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the delegation of the People’s Republic of China.

1.33In June 2024, the Deputy Commissioner for Labour (Occupational Safety and Health), Mr Vincent Fung, attended the 17th Congress and General Assembly of the International Association of Labour Inspection held in Geneva, Switzerland and delivered a keynote speech on “The Evolution of Occupational Safety and Health in Hong Kong”.